


I Want Your Complications Too

by EWBANH



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Romance, Sibling Bonding, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:55:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28884975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWBANH/pseuds/EWBANH
Summary: A casual day of Rhys and Sasha's life takes a sharp turn for the worse, but not abnormal by Pandoran standards.
Relationships: Fiona & Rhys (Borderlands), Fiona & Sasha (Borderlands), Rhys/Sasha (Borderlands)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We got a big ol oneshot coming through!! This takes place about 3 years after the game so dynamics are a bit tighter than usual which I enjoyed to write! It's split into two parts because of how long it is, but I hope you enjoy regardless! 
> 
> Title goes to Taylor Swift's 'Paper Rings'. 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @ewbie.tumblr. com

Traveling across Pandora had always been a joy of Sasha’s. She wasn’t always able to wander the deserts and explore the grasslands as a child, but on the few occasions a job took them out in that direction, Sasha enjoyed every terrifying moment. 

So, when Sasha grew up, she decided she would never miss an opportunity to explore the vast wasteland that was Pandora. 

The caravan drove smoothly over the makeshift road in the desert of Pandora, it’s wheels humming over the ground as she continued forward. The vehicle had been curated by nearly everyone in Sasha’s life, a gift and reminder of their humble beginnings. It was primarily Sasha’s and her favorite place to get away as well as a place to hide. 

“I’m never getting used to the vast nothingness,” Rhys grumbled, his feet up on the dashboard of the vehicle, looking out the window to his right. “Seriously, what the hell even lives out here.” 

“Bandits, Psychos,” Sasha replied simply, “Skags, Rakks, probably Sand Worms and even-” 

“Why’d I ask?” Rhys muttered, looking over with a disgruntled look. “You actually like it out here?” 

Sasha raised a brow, sparing a quick glance over to the man. “It was your idea to drive, Rhys,” She stated, looking back out the window. 

_“No,”_ Rhys replied, shaking his head. “It was my idea to spend time together alone without Vaughn and Fiona or anyone else.” 

“And you settled on driving up to Hollow Point,” Sasha replied, smirking. “We could’ve taken the-” 

“I _know,”_ Rhys sighed, shaking his head a bit. “It’s fine! I’m not bored, I’m just thinking _._ That’s all!” 

Sasha rolled her eyes as a companionable silence fell over the small caravan. The two were making a quick trip up to her hometown for assistance with Rhys’ growing Atlas dream. They wanted to speak with Janey and Athena in regards to a partnership of sorts, maybe even going as far as to test a few of his prototype designs for a few weapons. It was a shaky start to his company but Sasha was determined to do anything to support her boyfriend. 

Her gaze fell to the gold band on her left index finger, a small smile on her lips.

_Fiance._

Rhys had asked Sasha if they could get married multiple times but only finally asked her to _marry_ _him_ on their third anniversary of meeting. Sasha had agreed with a smile but Rhys had assured her that they would be taking things slow, especially with the entire itinerary they had for tying the knot. 

Rhys was taking it at Sasha’s pace and that only served to make her love him more. 

“Six more hours,” Rhys sang out, shifting a bit as he looked over. “Do you want me to drive? I really don’t mind.” 

“You know I like driving,” Sasha spoke, sending another look over. “You can have your turn in another hour or two.” 

“What about dinner?” Rhys pouted. 

Sasha rolled her eyes. “We can eat before we switch, don’t worry,” She assured. “You’re such a baby.” 

“Or I just like to have dinner with my soon to be wife,” Rhys replied smirking.

His words did the usual trick of sending Sasha’s stomach into a spin, her face growing a bit more red as she shook her head. She didn’t dare look over, already seeing the shit eating grin on his face from the edge of her vision. 

“Well your soon to be wife is about to crash this caravan if you don’t stop.” 

Rhys snorted. “As if,” He spoke, looking behind at the space they had. “You love this thing more than you could ever love me. It’s okay, I’m over it. I’ve made peace.” 

“Wow, you’re actually right about something for once,” Sasha retorted with a snicker, “I should take a picture.” 

The man joined in soon after, laughing as well as he leaned back into the passenger seat. Sasha watched out of the corner of her eye as he rested and tried to curl up his too long figure into the seat, nearly jumping as he reached over, taking her hand into his. Even on his prosthetic palm, Sasha’s fingers fit perfectly between his. 

“You don’t wanna stop so we can sleep?” Rhys asked, his eyes still shut. 

“We can stay at the inn when we get there, it’ll be late anyway,” Sasha reminded, reading through his words. She spared a quick glance over, her other hand still resting on the steering wheel. “We can cuddle then.” 

Rhys looked over, his eyes open. “Ew,” He grimaced, scrunching his nose. “That’s disgusting.”

“Is it?”

Rhys smirked. “I prefer the term _snuggling,”_ He corrected, watching as Sasha rolled her eyes. “Is it so bad for a man to miss holding his beautiful and-” 

“I’m about to start swerving,” Sasha interrupted, sending him a pointed glance as she turned the wheel a bit. Rhys immediately sat up, gripping the chair with both hands as he let out a shout. 

“Hey! Not funny!” Rhys cried, looking over. “You promised me you wouldn’t!” 

“I actually promised you I wouldn’t speed,” Sasha pointed out, smiling as she resituated the vehicle. 

“I will throw up on you,” Rhys snapped, looking over with a sad excuse of a glare. “I’m serious. I will.” 

“Alright alright, truce,” Sasha replied, raising her right hand. She barely had a second to lower it back down onto the steering wheel before Rhys reached over for it anyway, holding it tightly as he slid back down in his seat. 

“Truce,” He grumbled, shutting his eyes again. He opened them after a beat, pulling up the prototype of one of his inventions on his palm, frowning again. 

“It’s sick,” Sasha murmured, looking over for a beat. “I think Janey will love it. She’ll give you good feedback at least.” 

Rhys sighed, brows furrowed. “I just don’t know about this one,” He grumbled, spinning the hologram. “It’s got a bunch of issues. The recoil is ridiculous, even for a gun of this caliber. Not to mention the coloring could use work. I don’t know how I feel about-” 

“Babe,” Sasha interrupted, squeezing his palm. She looked over for a beat, meeting his frown with a shake of her head before focusing back on the road. “It’s like, your second prototype _ever._ It’s not going to be your best. And it might not even be good-” 

“Thanks, Sasha.” 

_“But,”_ She continued, squeezing his metallic hand. “There’s a but. It doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s a start and you’re already doing more than most people could even dream of.” 

Rhys sighed, looking ahead. “I just wish it was better,” He mumbled, pouting a bit. “There’s a lot of competition out there! Have you _ever_ seen an Atlas gun? Everything nowadays is owned by Dahl or-” 

“Rhys,” Sasha cut in again, “You’re going to overwhelm yourself. Just think about here and now. You have _two_ guns planned. Focus on those.” She paused, sending him a quick pointed look. “Besides, if you get too stressed out you’ll start losing your hair.” 

Rhys jolted at that with a cry, raking his flesh hand through his long brown hair. He reached for the back of his head, ensuring that his hair was still there much to Sasha’s loud laughter.

“That’s not funny!” Rhys cried, looking over. “If my hair goes then so do I! I hope you like running a company alone.” 

“Guess we’ll see,” She teased, looking over with a small laugh. She watched as the man relaxed back into his seat, still smiling as he sighed.

“Seriously though,” Sasha murmured, her eyes on the approaching canyon they would soon be driving through. “You’re starting small. So keep your head focused there, not on the big and scary looming future.” 

Rhys was quiet for a beat before looking over. “Yeah, I’ll still have you,” He grinned.

“If you don’t make me blow my brains out by the end of this ride, then yeah, you’ll have me,” Sasha replied. 

Rhys laughed and Sasha hid the way her chest soared at the noise, settling on squeezing his palm. She focused back on the road with a sigh, the caravan driving into the new environment without a change in speed, her eyes searching the various rocky features and mountains around them. The ground was still dry and cracked, the scorching sun above barely a hindrance to the few desert plants that stood out amongst the sea of tan. 

The silence around the two was comfortable once more, Rhys’ eyes shut again as he laid back in his chair. Sasha looked over with a rare sweet glance, watching as his thumb played with the matching band on his index finger. She smiled softly, watching him for another second before focusing back on the road. 

As playful as Sasha was, there was no doubting the excitement in her chest regarding the future she had with Rhys. The two were the up and rising owners Atlas, Rhys’ progress on building the company back up rather fast. He was the majority of the brains behind the products with a helping hand from various Vault Hunters and a few members of the Crimson Raiders who gave him ideas of new guns. He was more than eager to have different opinions and ideas, even going as far as naming a weapon after his personal favorite Vault Hunter. 

It was weird but Rhys was happy and that’s all she could ask of him. 

Truth be told, Sasha couldn’t hide her excitement. She had always dreamed of bettering Pandora and no longer having to live a life of conning. Fiona had gotten her wish through hunting Vaults while Sasha preferred a more… calm and relaxed method of survival. Sure, she was terrified of what the future had in store for both her and Rhys, but she settled on thinking on the present. 

The rather violent jolt of the caravan brought both Rhys and Sasha out of their thoughts, the latter of the two gasping as a loud pop erupted from beneath the vehicle. She eased her foot off the pedal, bringing it down on the brakes as the caravan rumbled to a slow stop. 

“That was a wheel,” Sasha hissed, jumping to a stand. Rhys was on her heels in an instant, already asking an array of frazzled questions. 

“God damn it, do we have a spare?!” Rhys asked, the warm Pandora air greeting them both as they made their way out and into the desert. He looked around, his brows furrowed as Sasha dropped onto the ground towards the back of the car.

“We do,” She assured, crouched beside the wheel. “Can you check the other one, I don’t know which one is the one that blew.” 

“This is why I hate driving,” Rhys grumbled, crouching at the other end of the caravan. “It’s so unreliable and-” 

“Rhys, please not now,” Sasha groaned, her frown deepening as she looked at the man. “I think it’s yours. This one’s fine.” She climbed to a stand, making her way over to Rhys before crouching next to the wheel. 

“Yup,” Rhys sighed, pointing at a piece of flat metal digging into the rubber. “Look at that. A nail, you think?” 

Sasha’s frown only grew as she dug her fingers into the rubber, slowly pulling out a rather large nail.

“Now what the fuck is that?” Rhys cried, leaning closer at the near ten-inch metal nail. “Who just leaves that on the ground in the middle of the ro–”

“Rhys- Get inside,” Sasha whispered, scrambling to a stand. She pulled Rhys up beside her, the man’s hand in hers as they began to round back to the front of the vehicle. 

A loud gunshot sent the two to the ground, the other tire hissing loudly, now just as useless as the other. 

“Fuck-” Sasha hissed, searching their surroundings as she clutched her pistol with her other hand, keeping it behind her.

“Sasha!?” Rhys whispered, clutching her tightly as he looked around. “What the hell is-” 

The sound of footsteps erupted from the front of the caravan, sending Sasha’s hand to Rhys’ mouth, rendering him silent. 

“Alright, we saw you two,” A voice boomed, the two tensing as the footsteps came to a stop. “Come on out, hands raised.” 

Rhys looked to Sasha with wide eyes, her hand dropping from his mouth as she whispered. 

“Don’t you say a word,” She hissed at Rhys, eyes wide. “They will kill us both and I don’t know about you-” 

“You got two seconds before I fire a shot that won’t miss!” The voice howled, jolting Sasha up to a stand. She walked out first, Rhys on her heels with narrowed eyes. They made their way out from behind the vehicle, immediately locking gazes on a set of two bandits. The smaller one held a large rifle with a scope, the other much larger bandit stood with no weapon albeit his muscles were no doubt more than enough a substitute. 

Sasha mentally berated herself for leaving their shields in the caravan. 

_Fiona’s gonna have a field day with this one. A bandit_ _and_ _a bruiser._

“Well shit, look at these two,” The smaller bandit chirped, arms crossed with a click of his teeth. “Whatcha think, we kill ‘em and take their shit?”

“What does killing us get you?” Sasha asked, forcing herself to relax as she put her hand on her hip. “You already fucked our caravan, we’re not going anywhere.” 

The bigger of the two snorted, cracking his knuckles and sending Rhys a subconscious step back. 

“I’ll hold ‘em, you grab whatever is worth somethin',” The bigger one growled out, making his way over. 

“Uh- Sash?!” Rhys cried, only for the woman to send him a glare. He watched as the smaller of the two put his gun against his back, entering the vehicle without another word. The bigger man stepped in front of the two, reaching his arms out. 

“Don’t fight back or I’ll take you out in the blink of an eye,” The bruiser threatened. His palm clasped around Sasha’s arm, pulling her away from Rhys. 

“Hey!” Rhys shouted, stepping forward to grab her wrist, only for Sasha to pull her hand back to her chest, shaking her head. He didn’t have a moment to question the woman as the bandit wrapped a hand around his upper flesh arm, pulling him onto his other side with a yelp. 

The bandit snorted, tightening his grip as he stared at the caravan. “You got any money on ya?” 

“Wallet, back pocket,” Sasha spoke, nodding at Rhys. The man was still for a beat before handing the bandit his wallet. He pulled his hand back, only for the bandit to grab his metallic wrist, pushing Sasha away. 

“Well, what is this?” The bandit hissed, his gas mask hiding the obvious smirk on his face. He reached his other hand for Rhys’ arm, ripping his sleeve back. 

“Hey-Hey relax, man!” Rhys stammered out, his flesh hand resting over the bandit’s palm, the man grunting. “It’s you know-” 

“His arm,” Sasha snapped, stepping closer, only for the man to hold out a pistol she hadn’t seen, pointing it straight at her. 

“No! No don’t,” Rhys cried out, looking between the gun and Sasha, letting out a cry as the man yanked his arm, holding him a few inches off the ground. “Listen, I-I can’t take it off–”

“I’ll just rip it off,” The bandit settled on, earning a frightened yelp from Rhys as the man tightened his grip on his prosthetic, thankful at the very least he couldn’t feel pain. 

“It’s not worth anything!” Sasha interrupted, her eyes wide with a hint of panic, her hands held up. “It’s cheap metal. Our tires have better rims than that sad excuse of an arm.” 

The bandit looked at her, almost convinced. “Yeah?” He growled, eyes narrowed behind the glass of his mask. “He seems rather adamant to keep it on.” 

“Duh!? It’ll hurt!?” Rhys cried out, shaking his head. 

Sasha watched as the bandit put his gun to the side, giving Sasha just enough time to pull hers out, aiming it straight at the bandit’s chest before pulling the trigger. The bandit screamed, dropping Rhys to the ground as Sasha charged him, just barely managing to drop the gun out of his hand. 

Rhys scrambled away as the man fell beside him, scrambling to grab the bandit’s gun. He was just barely quick enough to aim it at his emerging friend from within the caravan, sending a bullet into his chest. A cry from Sasha quickly drew his attention as the larger bandit grabbed at Sasha’s ankle, bringing her down onto the ground hard. Rhys scrambled over, fumbling with his gun, only to settle on punching the bruiser with his metal hand. The bandit let out a sharp shout as Rhys reeled his hand back, landing it back on his face before his fist wrapped around Rhys’ elbow, pushing his arm back. 

Rhys yelped as he was shoved to the ground and away, the bruiser pushing him to the ground, a dangerous _crunch_ erupting from where the bandit held him. He reacted on instinct as he grabbed the bruiser's weapon off the ground, just barely managing to aim it at the man before pulling the trigger. 

The instinct to roll away grew stronger, Rhys silently thanking himself as the bruiser fell to the ground beside him, stilling immediately. He stared for a beat before gasping, looking to Sasha with wide eyes.

“Sash!” He cried, crawling over to her. His eyes locked on her hidden ankle, his flesh hand hovering over before slowly pulling her fingers back. He hissed at the sight of the big bruise there, looking up to her teary eyed face.

“I-It’s just bruised, maybe sprained,” Rhys rushed out, a tight smile on his face. “That’s okay, I-I’ll help you inside, okay?” 

Sasha nodded, hissing as Rhys’ arm wrapped around her shoulders. She put her own arm around his neck, climbing up to stand on her other foot with a cry. 

_“Fuck!”_ She cursed, her eyes screwed shut as the pain grew stronger, nearly nauseating as she hobbled beside Rhys. “Fuck- that stupid–” She muffled a groan, letting Rhys take over most of the control of their hobbling before she was slowly slid onto the curved couch in the back of the caravan. She lied down immediately, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she heard Rhys scramble to lock and shut the door, moving to their kitchenette as he dug through the cabinet. 

“Top right,” Sasha breathed out, her elbow over her eyes as she ignored the radiating pain from her ankle. “That fucking bastard- he just fucking- _ugh!”_

“I know, babe,” Rhys stammered out, now kneeling beside where her feet rested. He looked between the bruise and Sasha’s face, swallowing his fear down before opening the med kit in his hand. 

“Okay- Uh, syringe,” He repeated to himself, nodding slowly. “Okay, just sit still-” 

“I don’t need the syringe,” Sasha hissed, sitting up on her elbows. “Can you just, I don’t know? Wrap it!”

Rhys furrowed his brows before nodding quickly. He reached for a small tin can of salve, putting it between his thighs before twisting off the cap. He dug his fingers in, looking to Sasha’s laid out figure with a frown. “M’gonna touch your ankle, okay?” 

“Just hurry up,” She growled, frustrated by both the pain and the fact she had gotten hurt. Her palms dug into her eyes as she tensed up, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. She winced at the cold touch against her tender skin, drawing in a sharp breath. 

Sasha counted to ten, a practice taught to her by none other than Fiona when she needed medical attention. She forced herself to focus on that, refusing to so much as look down at her ankle. It wasn’t the most painful thing she had been through, not by a long shot, but it still stung enough to irritate. 

The ripping of gauze called for Sasha’s attention, not quite noticing just how quickly Rhys had finished. She watched as he patted her calves with his palm before climbing to a stand, his legs carrying him over to Sasha’s head. The woman sat up, leaving her legs laid out before Rhys slid in beside her. 

“It doesn’t even hurt that bad,” Sasha grumbled, heaving out a heavy sigh. “Just annoying.” 

“I know,” Rhys answered, a weak smile on her lips as his hand reached up for her face, turning her to face him. He leaned forward, placing a kiss on her forehead before leaning back. “Well, we uh, survived!” 

“Barely,” Sasha grumbled, frowning as she looked at the locked door. “You brought his pistol in, right?”

Rhys nodded. “It’s at the door,” He answered, climbing to a stand as he reached for his Echo piece. He clicked, frowning at the static that greeted him. 

“Uh, I can’t get a signal,” Rhys breathed out, looking at Sasha. He watched as she did the same as him, leaving her to climb up to the front of the car, clicking a few buttons. “I sent out the distress signal to Fi just in case.” 

“No fucking luck,” Sasha growled, shaking her head. “God, isn’t your eye connected-” 

“Nothing there either,” Rhys replied, coming back over to sit beside her. He shuffled a bit, watching as Sasha messed with her personal radio. 

“Those fucking assholes, they chose the perfect place for a hold up,” She hissed.

“Yeah well, Fiona knows where we are now!” Rhys exclaimed, smiling a bit. “And what? The nearest town is-”

“Six hours away,” Sasha interrupted, sighing. “Hollow Point. Even if she uses the New-U stations she has to drive out here.” 

“But she won’t be alone and she’ll be careful,” Rhys added, nudging his shoulder against hers. “It’s fine, couples first Bandit Hold Up!” 

Sasha sighed, Rhys’ arm wrapping around her front, bringing her to his side, his chin in her hair. 

“You okay?” He murmured, placing a kiss in her hair.

“I mean, yeah,” Sasha muttered, frowning. “If okay is having a busted ankle stranded in the middle of nowhere with an hour and a half of sunlight left.” 

“Here, let me get you a drink,” Rhys spoke up, suddenly excited as he slid out from the booth. 

Sasha sighed, watching him with a dull look. She couldn’t help the slight regret at her earlier snappiness, feeling a decent amount of guilt at his cheeriness and strong urge to take care of her despite the lack of _real_ injury. 

She frowned, her gaze locking on Rhys as he held the fridge open with his hip, using the same hand he used to open it to grab a bottle from within. Her vision narrowed, watching his every move as he studied the bottle on his way back. 

“Rhys,” Sasha breathed out, the man not looking up as he hummed. “Why aren’t you using your arm?” 

The man’s eyes widened, quickly hiding the look with a weak smile. “What do you mean? I’m using it right now,” He joked, raising the hand with the bottle as he sat at her feet. He stared at the cap, blinking for a second, only for Sasha to lean forward. Her hands quickly clasped around his prosthetic arm, earning a startled cry from Rhys. 

Sasha couldn’t quite see the man’s arm but could feel the rather _unnatural_ bend over his forearm. Her eyes widened, looking up as he set the bottle onto the table, not quite meeting her gaze. She worked quickly to rip the rest of Rhys’ jacket and shirt sleeve back, ignoring the man’s cries to save his clothing.

The usually sleek nature of Rhys’ metallic arm was currently anything but, the joint that would be his elbow bent awkwardly. The space above and below his elbow looked equally as damaged, the entire arm looking _wrong._

“I-It’s not that big of a deal,” Rhys stammered out, Sasha finally meeting his gaze. “I can’t feel pain anyway so-” 

_“Rhys,”_ Sasha cried, shaking her head as she ran her fingers over the sleek metal. “Rhys- You didn’t tell me!?”

“Well your ankle was sprained! You were in pain and-” 

“That doesn’t matter, Rhys!” Sasha interrupted, shaking her head as he looked away. “This- Your _arm-”_

“There’s nothing to do about it,” He stated, looking back with a frown. “It’s busted, I can’t use it. I can't feel it. But it doesn’t hurt and-” 

Sasha cut the man off as she shifted his whole arm, earning a cry from him as he clutched his shoulder, startling her still. 

“You said it doesn’t hurt,” Sasha breathed, meeting his gaze.

“The bent part doesn’t,” Rhys explained, dropping his hand from his shoulder. “But he like- pulled it a bit and that hurts.” He moved to hold her hands, bringing them off his shoulder with a weak smile. “It’s fine.”

“Rhys it’s your _arm,”_ Sasha snapped, angry once again. “Can you even fix this?”

“Well I’m not letting anyone else touch it,” Rhys grumbled, his figure deflating. “I’ll fix it or I’ll build a new one.” He reached his hand to her lap, squeezing her thigh. “I promise, I’m okay. It just sucks that I’m down an arm but we’ll be fine.” 

Sasha huffed, looking down at the bent metal with a deeper frown. “You shouldn’t have hid this from me.” 

“I wasn’t _hiding_ it,” Rhys spoke, shaking his head. “But seriously, I don’t have the tools to fix it and I’m more worried about my injured wife-to-be.” He didn’t wait for the woman to react as he brought her back to his side, his arm around her waist. 

“I’m fine,” He assured, chin in her hair. 

Sasha sighed, shutting her eyes with a big frown. “Fiona’s going to kill me,” She grumbled. “I got too used to living in Sanctuary. I should’ve known better-”

“Please tell me you’re not blaming yourself for a stick up,” Rhys groaned, squeezing her tightly. “Sash, you’re already hurt. Feeling shitty about it won’t help anything. Blame the two dead guys on the other side of the door.” 

“Fuck, that’s going to attract skags and rakks,” Sasha grumbled, opening her eyes to turn to Rhys. “Help me stand up and I can-” 

“You’re not moving a muscle,” Rhys snapped, frowning. “You’re going to sit here and drink your juice or whatever and I’ll move them.”

Sasha shook her head, frowning. “Rhys! You’re down an arm,” She started, shaking her head. “And even if you had two arms, you can’t carry the big guy alone.” 

“Then they stay,” Rhys spoke, shrugging. “We’re both out of commission.” 

A beat passed before Sasha sighed, screwing her eyes shut. She felt Rhys purse his lips in her hair, his hand rubbing her side gently as pain pulsated from her ankle. 

“Are you okay?” Rhys murmured, his voice uncharacteristically soft. 

Sasha opened her eyes to stare at the walls of the caravan, her heart beating fast as the adrenaline of it all slowly wore away. “As okay as I can be after watching my fiance’s arm almost get ripped off,” She muttered.

“Hey! You shot him, you should be proud!” He exclaimed, his voice slightly higher than normal.

“You killed them both,” Sasha replied, tilting her head to look up at him. 

Rhys blinked, meeting her gaze with a shrug of his shoulder. “Damn, I’m a lot sexier than I give myself credit for,” He murmured, earning a pinch of his thigh. “Ow-” 

Sasha only rolled her eyes, her arms wrapping around his as she leaned back into his side, staring at her sneakers once again. She was wearing the same rather eccentric socks Rhys had gotten for her months ago, the sight somehow striking a sad core through her. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, looking back up to him. 

Rhys nodded and shined the woman a fake smile, immediately alerting alarms in her mind. 

“Just peachy,” He replied, looking away as he patted her stomach. “Ready to lay down at an inn and forget this ever happened, but peachy.” 

Sasha frowned, shifting a bit to grab his chin and turn his face to meet hers. The beads of sweat on his forehead and paled skin tone has her heart racing. 

“Rhys.” 

“O-Okay! You’d be freaked out too if a huge bandit dude tried to rip your arm off!” Rhys cried, pulling out of her grip. “I mean, come on! How many times is that going to happen?! We already know I can’t handle-” 

“Hey, Rhys, look at me,” Sasha interrupted, shaking her head as she held his face again. “Baby, breathe. He’s dead. He won’t touch you–” 

“- It doesn’t even hurt so I don’t know why you’re so worried,” Rhys continued, shaking his head out of her grip. “I’m fine! You should be worried about your ankle.” 

Sasha stared at the man, his chest heaving with each breath as their eyes locked again. She slowly reached for his flesh palm, entangling it with hers before taking a deep breath. 

Rhys followed suit, shutting his eyes as he held onto her palm tightly. He could nearly feel Sasha’s voice against his chest, struggling to keep his mind calm. 

“We’re fine, Rhys,” Sasha murmured. “I’m okay and so are you, Fiona will be here in just a few hours and then we can sleep this nightmare away.” She ran her thumb over his knuckles, sparing a quick glance to his relaxed prosthetic. “Can I do anything to help your arm at all?” 

Rhys opened his eyes after a beat, frowning. “There’s nothing to do,” He grumbled. “I can’t take it off. I made sure of that when you brought me back to Sanctuary.” He paused, his voice quieter. “You know, after the farm.”

Rhys shook his head, clearing his throat. “The whole point of practically melting it into my skin was to make sure it wouldn’t get ripped off again.” 

“Well, this next one I can design,” Sasha murmured, moving her free palm to rub his leg. “You trust me enough to do that?” 

Rhys pouted but nodded nonetheless. “Since I’ve known you I’ve gone through now two arms, it’s a little concerning.” 

Sasha laughed, squeezing his palm tightly. “That’s why this next one’s on me, well designing it is,” She smiled. “Maybe you can add it into your Atlas prototypes.”

Rhys snorted, nodding a bit before slowly sliding out from behind Sasha, the woman frowning and just barely stopping herself from grabbing his hand.

“I wanna get out of these clothes,” He grumbled, looking at his ripped sleeve. “Kinda sad, I liked this jacket a lot.” 

“I’ll see if Fi can fix it,” Sasha murmured, giving him a small smile. “How many extras did you store in here?” 

“I only ever put leisure wear in case we got delayed or something,” He sighed, making his way to one of the cabinets. “Which sucks because now I look like the furthest thing from a CEO and-” 

Rhys stopped, resting his head against the cabinet with a groan.

“What is it now, babe?” 

The man continued to groan before sighing heavily, banging his forehead against the wood a few times.

“Rhys.”

“I can’t show them my prototypes,” He spoke, his head still against the wooden cabinet. “It’s- I would’ve used my arm.” 

“You have them in your eye, right?” Sasha asked, brows furrowed. “Can’t you just upload them or something?” 

“It wouldn’t be as cool,” Rhys groaned, finally picking his head up. “This just keeps getting worse.”

Sasha sighed, her hands in her lap. “Rhys, I think they’ll be more concerned about your arm being… broken,” She stated simply, shaking her head. “Grab your pajamas and come back.” 

The man didn’t say much as he did just that, grabbing one of his loose sleeveless shirts before turning around, holding it up uselessly. “I don’t feel like trying to drag my limp arm through an entire sleeve so this is gonna be it.” 

Sasha raised a brow. “I’m not complaining,” She shrugged.

Rhys sighed, shaking his head as he made his way back over, sitting beside the woman. “I’ll just rip the rest of this off,” He grumbled, pouting. 

“Rhys I’ll buy you ten of those jackets if you want,” Sasha sighed, already helping him tug off his suit jacket. “Come on, I wanna lay down.” 

The man nodded, slowly maneuvering his arm out of the jacket before slowly unbuttoning his vest. He was thankful for the lack of movement that followed it’s removal. Sasha helped as best she could in undoing the buttons of his long sleeve, sliding it up and over his head as his chest erupted in goose bumps. 

Sasha’s eyes naturally drifted to the scars on his shoulder, hissing at the obvious redness of his upper arm. Rhys shifted under her gaze, frowning a bit as he slowly slid his left side into the tank top. 

“Is it bad?”

“No,” Sasha assured, rubbing his leg. “It’s a little swollen but it doesn’t look bad.”

“I figured,” He mumbled, sliding his limp arm into the sleeve strap with a wince. “How’s your ankle?”

Sasha looked down to her foot with a shrug. “I’m surprised he didn’t shatter it.” 

“Thankful is the word you’re looking for,” Rhys mumbled, looking over her head at her injury. “Do you think I can spread the emergency blanket and we can just lay down?” 

“Sure,” She replied, stretching her arms over her head. “We can do that. You might as well help me up so I can grab dinner and-” 

“I’ll do that too,” Rhys replied, already getting up. “You just focus on keeping your foot attached to your leg.” 

“Rhys-” 

“Take it easy,” Rhys spoke, hand up as he made his way to the bottom cabinet, opening it and digging through. “Let me take care of you for once.” 

“You _always_ take care of me,” Sasha started, shaking her head. “What do you mean?!” 

“No, you always insist you’re alright and then I have to jump around thinking about what could be wrong until I figure it out,” Rhys corrected, pulling out the blanket. “And if I hadn’t sidelined my arm for a few minutes you would’ve been going crazy making sure I’m okay when your ankle is practically blue.” 

Sasha was quiet. “That’s not true.” 

“It is, Sash,” Rhys replied, spreading the blanket onto the floor of the caravan, his back to the woman as he sat on his knees. He spread the blanked to his best ability before turning back to his fiancee, giving her a tight smile. “Even Fi’s pointed it out a million and one times.” 

Rhys climbed back to his feet, reaching for the few pillows messily strewn on the far side of the couch, placing them at the top of the blanket. “It’s not the best thing but it’ll do,” He sighed, climbing to a stand. “I’d say we could sleep on the roof but the incoming rakk’s might kill us…so.” 

His arm slowly made its way back around Sasha’s shoulders, holding her ribs as he led her towards the blanket on the ground. He lowered her gently, flinching with each hiss and wince until she was lying on her back. Rhys promptly dug through one of the cabinets, pulling out a few snacks before dropping beside her with a huff. 

“You want the spicy or the normal flavored chips?” He asked, looking over. 

“Spicy,” Sasha murmured, pulling it out of his hand. 

Rhys fell back onto the pillows, sighing as he slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her head onto his chest as he stared up at the ceiling, looking over after a beat. “Comfy?” He asked, watching as she ate slowly. 

Sasha nodded, swallowing her chip before looking over, frowning a bit. “Do you really think I don’t take care of myself enough?” 

Rhys was quiet for a moment before sighing. “I mean, sometimes I just wish you took _better_ care,” He mumbled, brushing her shoulder. “I know you try your best but I do worry sometimes.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Rhys murmured, looking over. “I worry.” 

Sasha sighed softly before leaning up to give the man a kiss, her head back onto his shoulder. “I worry about you too,” She stated softly. “How about we _both_ work on it?” 

Rhys smiled. “Fine by me,” He replied, his hand stretching to brush her braids behind her ear. “You know, with my lack of arm and your lack of leg, we make a whole person!”

Sasha stared at the man for a beat, blinking. “Rhys,” She started, her voice low. “Rhys, what kind of person has three arms and three legs?!”

“Oh.” 

Sasha fell into a fit of laughs, curling into his chest tighter as she held him tightly, her arms under and over his thin stomach. “I hate you,” She laughed into his shirt, shaking. “You are so fucking stupid.” 

“Oh come on, you know what I meant!” 

“No, I didn’t,” Sasha cried, still laughing. “CEO of stupidity!” 

Rhys groaned, laughing a bit anyway as he squeezed her closer, shaking his head against the pillows. “You’re right, that’s on me.” He continued to laugh before looking back down at the woman, rolling her eyes as she reached up to wipe her face. 

“Wow,” Sasha breathed, turning to rest her chin on his chest. “I gotta tell Vaughn that one.” 

“Fuck off,” Rhys chuckled, reaching his hand up to gently play with her braids. He watched as she smiled, holding his stomach tightly. 

“This could be romantic if we weren’t fucked up,” She murmured, turning to place a kiss on his bare collarbone. 

“Also if there weren’t two dead bodies outside,” He added, grinning when she stuck her tongue out. 

“Can you stop reminding me that we killed people today?” She asked, raising a brow. “Especially not when I’m laying here with a numb ankle.”

“Is it supposed to be numb?” Rhys asked, eyes wide as he craned his neck to look. 

“What do you think the salve was for?” Sasha started, only to blink. “Wait- Rhys! Did you just put some salve on me because you saw it?!” 

“I was repeating Fiona’s instructions,” He explained, meeting her gaze. “You know- The ones about being hurt and stuff. Salve always goes on a wound that hasn’t been opened.” 

Sasha blinked. “Wait, you actually listened to Fiona?” 

“Yeah!” Rhys cried, confused. “She’s better with this stuff and everyone has better experience with, I don’t know, Pandora than me. Of course I listened!” 

Sasha rolled her eyes before resting her head back on his chest, her chin digging into his skin. “That’s sweet,” She stated simply. 

“I prefer to call it smart thinking considering I saved your leg.”

A smirk grew on Sasha’s lips as she raised her brows. “Oh because it was oh so close to being lost?” 

“You don’t know, what if he had a poison touch,” Rhys replied, raising a brow. “I’ll take my note of thanks through either chips or kisses, you decide.” 

Sasha rolled her eyes as she reached behind her, grabbing a chip before bumping it against his lips. He opened his mouth, feeding it to him with a nod before lying back down. 

“Kinda hoping for the kisses, gonna be honest.” 

“You can get your kisses when your arm’s fixed,” Sasha assured, patting his chest as she snuggled closer. “I don’t want you to get too excited.” 

Rhys laughed, holding her tighter. He sighed happily, looking over her face for a beat as she stared back up at him. 

“What is it now?” 

“Nothing,” Rhys replied, shrugging a bit. “Can a man not look at his soon-to-be wife?”

Sasha shook her head. “You can just say fiance. It’s less words.” 

“Nah,” Rhys spoke, clearing his throat. “Soon-to-be wife sounds a lot….”

“Sexier?”

“Yeah, sure,” Rhys laughed, playing with her braids gently. “Have I told you I loved you today?” 

Sasha couldn’t hide her smile as she turned to place her cheek against his chest. “You always say it when you wake up, idiot.” 

“Huh,” Rhys replied, pursing his lips. “You know, I think today’s been crazy enough that you get another one.” 

The burning of her face did little to persuade her to look back up at him as he squeezed her closer, scooting his head a bit lower to place a kiss in her hair. 

“I love you, Sasha,” He sang out, grinning. 

Sasha didn’t reply, earning a slight shake from Rhys as he called her name out in a sing-songy voice. She finally replied, only this time with an obviously fake snore. 

“Oh god, my soon-to-be wife fell asleep on me,” Rhys groaned out, unable to hide the smile in his words. “Guess I’ll just have to tickle her awake.” 

Sasha stiffened immediately, snapping her head around to glare at him. “One tickle and I take the rest of your arm off.” 

Rhys fell into a fit of laughs, Sasha rolling her eyes as she gently smacked his stomach, his laughter only growing. 

“You’re a dick,” Sasha mumbled, resting the side of her face back on his chest. “But I do love you.” 

“That’s all I had to hear,” Rhys grinned, still idly playing with her braids. “You know, I heard that once adrenaline starts to wear off you get really tired.” 

“Is that right?” Sasha asked, her eyes already shut. 

“Oh definitely, a lot of people go to sleep right after,” He continued, looking down at the woman. “It’s pretty cool. Doesn’t work on me though. Guess I’m too manly, or something.” 

“Mhmm,” Sasha hummed. 

“Craaaazy stuff,” Rhys repeated, dropping his hand to her upper back, rubbing small circles into her shirt. “You know what else is crazy? How plants survive out here.”

Sasha fell asleep soon after that, drifting off to the sound of Rhys’ voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two!

Sasha’s mind slowly returned to the realm of consciousness, her body much colder than it was when she had fallen asleep. Her eyes slowly cracked open, taking a moment to adjust to the darkness as she swallowed the dryness in her throat. She sat up onto her elbows, looking around in the dark, a hint of fear in her chest. She noted the jacket over her frame, her frown deepening. 

“Rhys?” She called, pushing herself to sit up. 

“Here!” The man called back, her attention instantly locking to the front of the vehicle. She could just barely make up a dull light from the front seat, her brows furrowed at the sound of shuffling. 

Within seconds, Rhys was making his way down the steps and over to her, holding a flashlight in his hand. He sat just in front of Sasha, the flashlight lighting up his face as he reached for her face. “Saving the engine,” He informed with a half-smile. 

“What’s going on?” Sasha murmured, reaching up to hold his wrist, looking around the dark caravan. 

“So it turns out the salve also has a sleeping agent in it,” Rhys chuckled, meeting her wide eyes. “You’ve been out for eight hours.” 

Sasha gasped, looking around frantically. “Wh-What!?” She cried, sitting up straighter. “You’re lying-” 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Rhys murmured, turning her face to meet his. “You haven’t missed much. It’s just been us.” 

“No one came?” Sasha whispered, frowning. 

Rhys grimaced. “Not yet,” He spoke, a forced smile on his lips. “I’m sure they’ll be here any minute though, I’ve been waiting.” A weak laugh broke past his lips as he looked away, clearing his throat. 

Sasha nodded, holding onto his thigh. “What’ve you been doing?” She asked, her eyes instinctively searching for him, only to widen. “Your shoulder! 

Rhys looked down to his limp arm, cringing at the red staining his white tank top. “Yeah, I was messing with it,” He mumbled, shaking his head before meeting her gaze, turning her to face him, only for her to push forward, gasping at the appendage.

“What the hell, Rhys!” She cried, looking over the metal. His skin was red, nearly rubbed raw with a slight disconnect from the prosthetic in a few places. The blood was mostly dried by now, his skin still tinged red at what looked like a cheap clean up attempt.

“I was just fixing it,” Rhys offered weakly, not meeting her fiery gaze. “I wanted it gone. Or off. It doesn’t matter.” 

“Rhys, I leave you for a few hours and you mutilate yourself?!” Sasha stammered out, reaching up to hold his face. “What were you thinking?!” 

“I was trying to fix it but I couldn’t get in,” Rhys tried to explain, his hand falling from her face to hold her side. “I know it looks bad-” 

“Rhys-” 

“-But it doesn’t even hurt. If anything, it’s not as heavy,” He continued, shaking his head. “How’s your ankle?” 

Sasha frowned but gave in. “It’s fine, only a little pain,” She answered, her thumb brushing his skin just above the metal. “This isn’t good, Rhys. You should’ve woken me up.” 

“This isn’t anything, Sash,” He assured, holding her face again. “I promise. I was just messing with it. There was barely any blood.” 

“Yeah, right,” Sasha sighed. She looked up to his face, Rhys leaning in closer to place a deep kiss on her lips, holding the side of her face. Sasha leaned away first, brows furrowed as she searched his features. 

“I know you’re hungry,” He murmured, his hand falling to hold her thigh. “I made a sandwich for you. Lemme grab it.” 

“Did you eat?” Sasha asked, brows furrowed.

“Nope! Can’t have dinner without you, it’s fiance law.” 

Sasha sighed, watching as he climbed to a stand beside her, beelining for the fridge. He carefully opened it, resting the door on his hip as he pulled out two plates stacked on top of one another. He sat on the ground beside her, placing the plates between them. 

“It was harder than I expected with only one arm,” He smiled, looking up to her. “It’s that deli meat you picked out.” 

“Thanks,” Sasha murmured, already taking a bite. 

“Well, whoever comes looking won’t have to worry about feeding us at least,” Rhys spoke, shrugging a bit. “That’s a plus.” 

Sasha nodded before taking another bite, chewing it quietly as Rhys continued to ramble on. 

“I wonder if she’ll come alone,” Rhys continued, already done with his sandwich as he wiped his palm on his slacks. “Or maybe she’ll bring Lilith. Hopefully not Mordecai, he’s an asshole sometimes.” 

Sasha rolled her eyes, finishing up her sandwich after a beat. 

Rhys shifted down to her ankles, taking the flashlight with him as he shined it down at the blossomed bruise. He eyed the bandaging and swollen appendage, his eyes meeting hers. “How does it feel?” 

“Better,” Sasha assured, looking down at her foot. “Doesn’t feel like it’s about to fall off anymore.” 

“That’s good,” Rhys murmured, digging into his pocket before pulling out a bottle of pills. He shook them, holding it out for Sasha to uncap. “I already took two, your turn.” 

“Pain pills?”

“That’s them.”

Sasha sighed before doing just that, taking two pills with the bottle of water Rhys provided. She soon fell back against the blanket, sighing as Rhys shifted the plates away before joining her by her side. He immediately snaked his flesh arm around her, pulling her back to his chest with a kiss to her forehead.

“Are we sure they’re coming?” Sasha mumbled, her arms around his waist. 

“Fiona most definitely is coming for you,” Rhys replied, his hand rubbing her side. “She loves her cutesy little sister too much to leave her to die in the Pandora desert.” He paused to laugh, smiling a bit. “She might leave me though.” 

“Shut up,” Sasha spoke, shaking her head as she slipped her hand under his tank top, gently running circles over his stomach with her fingers. “You’re her best friend, idiot.” 

“I know,” Rhys murmured, placing a kiss in her hair. “Isn’t that funny. We all started out hating each other and now I’m marrying you and your sister’s my best friend. Vaughn’s still Vaughn, thank god.” 

Sasha smiled, holding onto Rhys with another sigh as her smile fell. “I wonder why it’s taking her so long. Are you sure she didn’t miss us?” 

“No way, I made sure the SOS tracking was the best on the planet,” Rhys assured, his lips in her hair. “It went straight to her ECHO. She knows where we are.” 

A beat of silence passed over the two, Sasha interrupting it as she scooted closer to Rhys. The man hummed a note, his chest vibrating against hers as she frowned.

“Why don’t you sleep?” 

“Eh, I’ve never been a fan of camping,” Rhys answered, shrugging a bit. “Not a big outdoorsy guy. Vaughn is, though.” 

Sasha raised a brow. “Is this your way of telling me you're scared?” 

“Not scared,  _ cautious,”  _ Rhys replied, looking down to her. “You’re not at least a  _ little _ weary of the wilderness.” 

A smirk grew over Sasha’s lips as she shook her head. “Nope!”

“Good,” Rhys mumbled. “That way if a Bullymong makes it’s way over to us you can deal with it.” 

“But how will I take it down if I can’t stand?” Sasha spoke, forcing a fake whimper as she made her eyes big. 

“I’ll put you on my shoulders,” Rhys replied simply, grinning wide. “You’ll get to see the world from this height. It might give you an advantage.”

Sasha hummed a note. “Or I’ll lose half my brain function due to being at your altitude.” She laughed into his chest, ignoring his shout of offense, her smile growing. 

“You’re my biggest bully,” Rhys mumbled after a beat. 

“And you love it,” Sasha teased, pinching his side. 

Rhys jumped, crying out again, only for Sasha to squeeze him tighter, laughing into his chest as she gave in. He only rolled his eyes, holding her tighter. The man’s gaze landed back on the ceiling of the caravan, frowning a bit at the lack of communication from the outside world. Even if his distress signal hadn’t gone through, Athena and Janey were well aware of just how late they were. They would know to contact Fiona and Vaughn at the very least, if not come after them as well.

_ At least you have her, _ Rhys mentally reminded himself, squeezing Sasha tight. 

The loud, near violent rumbling of an engine jolted both Sasha and Rhys in the air. Rhys sat up first, Sasha’s arms still around him as she held him, looking around frantically for her gun. Rhys held out his arm as he pulled away, grabbing her gun from the table and handing it to her before his own pistol. 

The two were silent, Sasha sitting up straight with her gun aimed at the door as Rhys stayed low to the ground, holding his own weapon close as the engine stopped, the lights blaring into the back of the caravan. Their hearts were in a frenzy, Sasha meeting his eyes with the same wide look, only for him to turn to the door. 

_ “Fucking hell, shit- Sasha?!” _

“Fiona!” Sasha cried, nearly jumping to a stand, only to cry out in pain. Rhys fumbled with his gun before deciding to just drop it, unlocking the door in a messy manner before swinging it open. He stuck his head out, nearly blinded by the lights as he raised his hand to his face.

“Oh thank god,” Fiona cried, running over to the man. Rhys couldn’t help his relief as he waved her down, stepping back as she all but sprinted inside. She practically ignored Rhys, looking for Sasha before locking on her figure heavily leaning onto the table.

_ “Sasha!”  _

Fiona ran into Sasha with a force that would rival Brick’s, holding her against her chest tightly, her hand in the back of her hair. “I-I’m so–”

“Careful, she hurt her ankle,” Rhys called out from behind, already working to lock the door. “Did you come alone?” 

Fiona pulled back, holding Sasha’s face as she looked her over frantically. “What happened to you?! Your ankle-” 

“I’m fine, it’s just a sprain,” She assured, unable to hide the slight wavering in her relieved voice. Fiona pulled her back to her chest, squeezing her tightly again. 

The lights of the caravan came on as Rhys shifted the keys, Sasha blinking to adjust as Fiona’s gaze looked her over.

“What happened?!” Fiona cried, looking between her and Rhys, only to freeze at the sight of his arm.  _ “Oh my god.” _

“It’s fine,” Rhys replied, waving her off. “We got pulled into a stick up. Hold up, whatever. They fucked with our tires.” he watched as Fiona gently lowered Sasha into the booth, practically stomping over to Rhys, eyes wide. 

“I know, we should’ve known better,” Rhys started, only to be interrupted as Fiona reached for his metallic arm, her hands hovering over it with a gasp. 

_ “Rhys-” _ She looked to Sasha, eyes equally as wide. 

“I fucked with it and made it worse,” Rhys mumbled, growing self conscious as he cleared his throat. “They uh, broke it.” 

“One of them spotted it,” Sasha explained, swallowing slowly. “Then a fight ensued and… here we are, eight hours later.” 

Fiona turned back to face him, searching him for a moment before throwing her arms around his waist, hugging him close. Rhys barely had time to wrap his own arm around her before she had pulled away, her face twisted in a pained look as she eyes the bloodied work of his shoulder. 

“Yeah, just don’t look at it,” Rhys chuckled out weakly, scooting past her to stand beside Sasha. “Did you bring reinforcements?” 

“Zer0 was helping me search,” Fiona answered, “They were about two miles behind me in case I missed anything.” 

“So we need another eight hours to get to Sanctuary, huh,” Rhys muttered, shaking his head. 

“I don’t even care about that! I care that you’re both alive,” Fiona cried, looking between the two. “Because holy shit that is a  _ horrifying _ message to get in the middle of a shower!” 

Sasha shot the woman a smile. “Is that why it took you eight hours?”

“No, it took me eight hours because I set up a New-U station less than an hour away,” Fiona stated, hand on her hip. “Just in case we needed backup or something. But that doesn’t matter! We need to get you out of here.” 

“No shit,” Sasha sighed, using Rhys’ figure to climb up to a stand, his arm already around her shoulders. Fiona ran to her other side, shooting the man a concerned look. 

“We’ll get the caravan tomorrow,” Rhys assured the two, smiling a bit. “Ellie will be more than happy to fix it.” 

“I’m more worried about us getting home safe, Rhys,” Sasha whispered. 

“Can you fix it?” Fiona asked, brows still furrowed. “Or…” 

Rhys swallowed, looking ahead as Sasha unlocked the door. “Probably not,” He mumbled, clearing his throat after a beat. “Who cares, we’re both alive and I get to choose a new sick color for this.” 

Neither Fiona nor Sasha were convinced yet neither said anything. The trio descended out of the vehicle, helping one another into the vehicle, Rhys sitting up front as Sasha laid down in the back. Fiona raised her hand to her ear, alerting Zer0 that they were in fact safe before looking between the two. 

“It’s about forty-five minutes away and I want  _ every _ detail about whatever the hell happened to you both.” 

So the two did just that, explaining their rather unfortunate circumstance and leaving out a good few details that would  _ probably _ be better for Fiona to not know about. The ride was thankfully nowhere near as bumpy and even quicker than anticipated as Rhys and Fiona helped Sasha up to the New-U station, the oldest of the three quickly punching in the coordinates for Sanctuary. The world around them blinked in and out of focus, taking a moment to focus on their new surroundings before continuing forward once more.

“Will you let me check out your ankle before you sleep or are you going to fight me about that?” Fiona asked, looking over to Sasha. 

The younger woman sighed, shaking her head. “Fine but this dumbass gave me a sleeping salve and now I’m groggy as hell.” 

“You can shower after it and then we can both sleep!” Rhys offered, looking around the dark streets of Sanctuary. “Does Vaughn know about this little mishap?” 

“Nope,” Fiona spoke, sneaking a glance to the man’s limp arm. “He would’ve just freaked out and made the whole search miserable. I told Zer0 to tell him once we get home.” 

“Good,” Sasha replied, sighing in relief at the sight of their apartment. 

“Little Atlas! Rhys cried in glee, smiling wide. 

“Can you just call it home like a normal person?” Fiona asked, brows furrowed in annoyance. “Seriously. It’s weird.” 

“I think it’s cute,” Sasha replied, grinning. “It’s also weird, though.” 

Rhys laughed before pulling away from Sasha, standing at the apartment door. He dug into his pocket for his keys, unlocking their apartment door with a sigh. The interior greeted them, looking exactly the same as it had from when they left earlier in the day. He turned back to help Sasha and Fiona through the door, helping Sasha to the couch, flicking on the light.

“We can sleep down here,” Rhys offered, grinning. “You already slept on the floor, I can bring down the blankets and stuff.” 

“Good idea,” Fiona added, already kneeling beside her sister’s ankle.

“I… will go shower!” Rhys announced, his hand on his hip. “Are you two gonna be okay?”

“You sure you should be doing that with your arm?” Fiona asked, looking over with furrowed brows. 

“Eh, I’ll be fine,” Rhys assured with a wave of his hand, shooting the woman a grin. “Sash, be good.” 

Sasha frowned but didn’t say anything else as he disappeared from line of sight, heading up the steps. She jolted at the chill that connected with her skin, staring down at her sister’s hands. 

“Gonna put some pressure just tell me if it gets bad,” Fiona spoke softly, not looking up. She waited just a beat before squeezing the joint gently, earning a hiss from Sasha. “Yeah, definitely sprained,” She muttered, glancing up to her face. 

“I figured,” Sasha sighed, shaking her head a bit. “The bastard pulled me to the ground and I lost my footing.” 

“Ouch,” Fiona breathed, looking up to her sister as she wrapped her ankle once more. “You killed them both though, I saw the bodies. Yeesh.” 

“Rhys actually did that,” Sasha murmured, dropping her other leg off the couch. 

“Glad to see he’s adjusted enough, remember when he was obsessed with a  _ stun baton?” _

Sasha snorted, watching as Fiona put her hands in her lap. “Yeah,” She chuckled softly, looking around the lit up home. “I remember. It was a mess. I’m just glad he’s got a decent enough aim.” 

Fiona hummed a note, climbing to a stand. “If I go grab your bedsheets and your blankets will I end up seeing your fiance in a less than ideal state?” She asked, raising a brow. 

Sasha laughed, shaking her head. “Go quick before he gets out,” She hurried, brushing her hands in the direction of the stairs. “Oh! And grab me a set of pajamas please!” 

Fiona gave her a thumbs up before disappearing out of her sight, leaving Sasha alone. She quickly worked out of her short-sleeved jean jacket, fixing the straps of her loose tank top before sliding off her sneakers to the best of her ability, dropping them onto the floor. Her gaze landed on the tight bandage around her ankle, pouting a bit. 

Getting hurt or sick was one of Sasha’s biggest pet peeves. She hated the consistent worry by all of those around her, the way Fiona refused to believe she would be okay paired with Rhys’ near smothering, it was a nuisance. On the few occasions she actually needed their help, it was humiliating. 

Sasha tried not to think too hard about why. 

“Okay I am so glad I left when I did,” Fiona called, coming down the steps. “He started _ singing!” _

“Yeah, he does that,” Sasha laughed, meeting the woman’s gaze with a small smile. “He’s actually not horrible.” 

“No he’s terrible, you’re just blinded by your love for him,” Fiona muttered, dropping the sea of blankets and pillows to the ground. “It’s disgusting.”

Sasha rolled her eyes, looking down as her sister spread the comforter onto the ground, folding the blanket in half before fixing the pillows. “Alright, up and attem,” Fiona spoke, climbing back onto her feet as she made her way over to Sasha. She helped the younger woman down and onto the blankets, Sasha still sitting up as she looked to Fiona, sighing a bit. 

“Well, that was a horrible shitty way for the day to go,” She grumbled, resting her temple onto her sister’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Fiona replied, resting her head over Sasha’s. “Just be thankful there were only two of them.” 

“I know,” Sasha sighed, holding her stomach as she stared down at her ankle. “I fell for the stupid nail in the tire shindig.” 

Fiona gasped. “No you didn’t!” 

“I did,” Sasha groaned, running a hand down her face. “I don’t know how I did, I realized eventually but by then it was too late.” She huffed out a heavy breath. “Now Rhys…”

“Just keep an eye on him,” Fiona murmured, looking to her sister with a frown. “Play it by his rules, take it easy, and don’t send him running.” 

“Easier said than done. You didn’t have to wake up to him doing god knows what trying to take it off.” 

Fiona was quiet for a second. “Just… keep an eye on him. I’m sure he was just freaking out,” She murmured, rubbing her sister’s shoulder as she looked to the stairwell. “You wanna wrap his shoulder to keep him from touching it?” 

“I’ll see what he thinks,” Sasha mumbled, sighing again. Her gaze locked to the ceiling, furrowing her brows. “He turned off the water.” 

“Huh,” Fiona spoke, looking up as well. “I figured he’d be a long shower kind of guy.” 

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Not all of us take forty-five minute showers like you, Fi,” She started, giving her a shake of her head. 

“You’re just mad I always took the hot water,” Fiona smirked, brow raised. “Oldest goes first, you know the rules.” 

Sasha stuck her tongue out before sighing, looking for her pajamas with a frown. She found them on the other side of Fiona, the woman following her gaze. 

“Oh right,” She spoke, handing them to her. “You should get out of those jeans, ew.” 

“I can sleep in the tank,” Sasha assured, putting her pajama shirt to the side before pulling out the sweatpants in the pile of clothing. “Oh.” 

“Those are Rhys’, huh.” 

“Yup,” Sasha chuckled, shaking her head. “It’ll work.” She turned to her sister, raising her brows. “I can change myself, Fi. Go grab me something to drink, please.” 

Fiona lingered for a beat, earning another call from her sister to leave before sighing and doing just that. 

Sasha smiled a bit, stretching her arms over her shoulders before slowly unbuttoning her jeans. It took a bit longer than usual to slide out of her jeans, going much slower before sliding into Rhys’ sweatpants, pulling the drawstrings tightly. She was actually thankful for his bigger clothing, the looseness not irritating her injury. 

“Alright you didn’t specify so I picked out a bottle of water and grabbed a cup of that weird juice you love,” Fiona announced, walking back into the living room, the two drinks in her hands, a med kit between her elbow and side. “I don’t know about drinking juice at…. Eleven thirty, but it’s up to you.” 

Sasha rolled her eyes, grabbing the cup with a thankful smile, watching as Fiona sat beside her. She took a sip, letting out a sigh. “That sleeping aide in the salve is deadly,” She muttered, pouting a bit. “I feel like a groggy mess.” 

“Oh yeah, it’s killer,” Fiona agreed, laughing a bit. “I refuse to use it for that reason. It puts you out for a good while.” 

Sasha rolled her eyes, taking another sip from the cup before looking to the doorway as footsteps erupted from the stairway. A reflexive smile grew on her lips as Rhys stepped into the room, sporting a large gray sweatshirt and similar sweatpants. 

“That felt heavenly,” Rhys announced, slicking back his wet hair with his hand, his prosthetic arm hidden within the hoodie. “I could help you shower if you wanted, Sash.” 

“I’m good,” Sasha assured, looking him over, frowning a bit. “Why’re you wearing long sleeves?” 

“Colder down here,” Rhys answered simply, not looking over as he fell back onto the comforter, smiling a bit before sitting up. “Oh! Can I?” 

Sasha handed the man her cup, watching as he drank out of it before reaching for the collar of his sweatshirt, dragging it down to his shoulder despite his protest. She was relieved to see his skin was in no worse shape than before, her frown deepening.

“It’s fine, Sash,” Rhys assured, shoving the cup back into her hands. “Seriously, I’ll look at it tomorrow.” He looked to Fiona, raising a brow. “Are you staying the night, freeloader?” 

Fiona rolled her eyes. “Not unless you need me to,” She spoke, looking to Sasha. “Sorry for giving a shit about your well being.” 

“I told you you should’ve left him out there,” Sasha replied, snickering as the man gasped. 

“You couldn’t live with the guilt, no way,” Rhys pointed out. 

“I’m willing to take my chances,” Fiona replied, smirking as she climbed to a stand. “Alright, lovebirds. Please don’t call me unless you need me, I’m going to  _ try _ and go to sleep until the morning.” She grabbed the blanket at the edge of the comforter, chucking it to Rhys. “Take care of each other or whatever. Rhys, don’t let her walk until tomorrow morning, I’ll see if I can find some crutches or something.” 

“I don’t need crutches!” Sasha cried, shaking her head. “Bring me crutches and I’ll smack them down over both your heads.”

“Yeesh,” Rhys shivered, “What’d I do to deserve that?” 

“Be good,” Fiona called, watching as Rhys climbed to a stand to lead her out. “Seriously, I don’t want another call.” 

Rhys shot her a smile. “Don’t worry, your dearest sister will receive the utmost care in my hands,” He assured, walking her to the door. 

“Goodnight, Fi!” Sasha called from the living room. 

“See you tomorrow,” Fiona called back, looking to Rhys with furrowed brows, her voice lowering. “Call Vaughn in the morning or I will, capeesh?” 

Rhys laughed a bit. “Capeesh.” 

“And,” Fiona continued, meeting his gaze with steel eyes. “Take care of yourself, seriously. If you need help, ask.” 

Rhys shifted the weight on his feet, nodding his head. “I know,” He mumbled, clearing his throat after a second. “Now, if you don’t mind, my dearest wife-to-be requires me.” 

“Oh god, alright, I’m leaving,” Fiona gagged, giving him a wave before stepping out of the home. “Goodnight, dickhead.” 

“Goodnight, Fi,” Rhys replied with a laugh, shutting and locking the door soon after. He immediately turned back towards the living room, flickering off the overhead lights but keeping on the lamp beside them. 

Sasha was still seated upright, her cup on the coffee table as she dug through the medkit with a frown. She didn’t look up as Rhys sat in front of her, his own brows furrowed.

“We have a good amount of adhesives, thank god,” She mumbled, pulling out the sticky bandages. “I won’t have to wrap your whole shoulder.” 

Rhys didn’t say anything watching as she pulled out a similar salve to the one he had used on her. 

“It’s just to keep the wound from being infected,” She murmured, meeting his gaze. She began to open the salve, only for Rhys to cry out his hand wrapping around her wrist.

“I can do it,” He assured quickly, not meeting her gaze. “You don’t want to touch it, it’s nasty and–”

“Rhys,” Sasha cut in, shaking her head. “It’s just me.” 

The words seemed to have the desired effect on him as Rhys all but deflated, staring at his lap before mumbling a small  _ ‘yeah’ _ , his hand digging into the comforter. Sasha leaned closer, holding his chin in her fingers. 

“I don’t think you’re nasty or anything like that, so neither are your injuries,” She started, frowning. “I’ve seen every inch of you, I don’t think there’s anything I  _ haven’t _ seen that could still disgust me.” 

Rhys managed a smile nod, sighing a bit as he let go of her wrist, moving to slowly ease off his sweatshirt with Sasha’s help. He looked over the wound with a hiss, watching Sasha’s every move as she waved him closer, her legs laid out. The man sat with his shoulder only a few inches away from Sashas’, his legs crossed beneath him as he kept his gaze on the raw skin of his shoulder.

“Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Sasha asked, looking up to meet his eyes with a serious look. 

Rhys nodded, gaze locked on her hands as she placed the cool ointment over the connection between skin and metal. Her other palm was wrapped around his unmoving bicep, shifting it up a bit and earning a hiss from Rhys as she placed the salve on his underarm. 

“I’m done,” She assured, wiping her hands with an alcoholic wipe before putting the trash to the side. “Just going to put some adhesive on it, okay?”

Rhys let out a tense breath before nodding slowly. He met her gaze again, her green eyes filled with understanding as she slowly opened the adhesive, carefully placing each piece over his skin. It took more effort than Rhys expected, not being able to help much with his limp arm as he flinched in pain.

It took another minute before Sasha was satisfied with her work, moving the medkit out of her lap before wrapping her arms around Rhys’ bare stomach. She placed a few gentle kisses over the new bandaging, making her way up his shoulder and to his neck before Rhys angled her face to meet his, giving her a kiss. His thumb rubbed soft circles into her cheeks pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, Sasha’s arms around him tightening before pulling back, her hand holding the lower half of his face.

“We make a good team,” Rhys joked, a half smile on his face.

“And an even better couple,” Sasha replied, smiling softly. “And as a couple, we’re going to fix your arm and my ankle.” 

Rhys looked away, nodding nonetheless as Sasha tightened her grip around him as she placed a quick peck on his jaw. 

“What color were you thinking?” Sasha asked her fingers trailing up to the underside of his tattoo, gently running over the patterns. 

“Something cool, not a dull gray,” He mumbled, looking at her. “What do you think? Anything in mind?” 

Sasha hummed, her eyes locked on his tattoos. “You’ve always looked sexy in red,” She murmured, looking up to his eyes. “Just a thought.” 

Rhys grinned, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. “Can’t argue with that logic,” He replied, his forehead resting against hers. 

The woman smiled back, her eyes crinkling before giving him another kiss. 

Rhys pulled away first this time, stretching his arm as he yawned, Sasha’s arms still around him. He looked to the pillows, a yawn breaking past his lips. “Sleepy time?” 

Sasha chuckled, nodding her head. “Sleepy time,” She repeated. “You stay on your back, I’m going to lay on my side.” 

Rhys frowned. “If it’s going to irritate-” 

“It won’t, don’t worry,” She assured, squeezing his stomach one last time before lying onto her side with Rhys’ help, his hand on her upper shoulder. He slowly turned around, lying down with his prosthetic arm away from her as Sasha set her head onto his bare chest, her hand over his stomach. 

“Couples First Stick Up?” Sasha smiled, Rhys’ chest rumbling with a laugh as he looked down. “I’d say we did pretty okay.”

“Me too,” Rhys replied, grinning. “I got a new arm out of it.”

“And all I got was this stupid bruise,” Sasha pouted, unable to hold the look for too long as Rhys laughed. “What? Am I not allowed to complain?” 

“You get to design the arm, it’s even,” Rhys explained, his smile bright. “It’ll be cute. I won’t even say no to anything.” 

Sasha’s brows shot up, earning a snort from Rhys.

“Okay, _ most things _ I won’t say no to,” He corrected. 

“Damn,” Sasha cursed, sighing. “There goes anything fun.” 

Rhys only rolled his eyes, curling his arm around her figure and pulling her closer. “I’ll have to see it first, then I’ll decide if it’s good enough,” He murmured, angling his head down and closer to her forehead. “Dream about what you want this new sexy arm to look like.” 

Sasha grinned, leaning up to place one last kiss on his lips before lying back down on his chest, throwing her uninjured leg over his. Her head rested just over his beating heart, taking a deep breath as Rhys’ arm tightened around her, holding her tight. 

Sasha drifted to sleep to the feeling of Rhys’ heart in her ear, the world's worries slipping away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!! It means the world to me <3 :)


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